Round-Up: May 23

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem decimum Kalendas Iunias, which marks the Roman festival of Tubilustrium. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 89, which features this great saying about sheep and wolves, metaphorically speaking: Incustoditum captat ovile lupus (When it is unguarded, the wolf raids the sheepfold).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today in honor of taking a drink once in a while: Aliud vinum, aliud ebrietas (English: Wine is one thing, drunkenness is another).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Optimus magister bonus liber (English: The best teacher is a good book). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Mare exhauris (English: You're trying to drink the sea dry... one of those proverbially impossible tasks).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Anxia divitiarum cura (English: Worrying about wealth brings frustration).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Ambulate dum lucem habetis ut non tenebrae vos comprehendant (John 12:35). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Horrescit gelidas felis adustus aquas (English: The cat who has been burned shudders even at ice-cold water... a variation on the idea of "once bitten, twice shy").

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo (English: If I cannot sway the gods, I will move Acheron itself - a famous saying adapted from Vergil's Aeneid).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Τυφλοῦται περὶ τὸ φιλούμενον ὁ φιλῶν (English: Someone who is in love goes blind when it comes to the thing he loves - in other words, "love is blind"). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE VULPE ET LUPO (the story of the fox who needed the wolf's help to escape from a well). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Haedo et Lupo, the story of the young goat who wisely followed his mother's orders when she had to leave him at home alone. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a 1479 edition of Aesop:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: May 22

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem undecimum Kalendas Iunias. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 88, which features this saying: Nemo cum sarcinis enatat (No one swims away with his luggage - in other words: just like they tell you during the airplane safety drill nowadays, leave everything behind if we have to evacuate!).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a recent one - kind of a variation on "when in Rome," but with monkeys instead: Inter simios oportet esse simium (English: Among monkeys, you need to be a monkey).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Contra aquam remigamus (English: We are rowing against the current). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Aleam fuge (English: Flee the die - i.e. don't gamble!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Aequat omnes cinis (English: Ash makes all equal - equal in death, that is).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is A paupere et amici separantur (Proverbs 19:4). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Unus interitus est hominis et iumentorum (English: There is one death alike for a man and for cattle - you can consider this an even more radical version of the aequat omnes cinis saying cited above!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Canere de Telamone (English: To sing like Telamon, which is to say, to sing the sad song that a father sings for his son, as Telamon would sing for his son Ajax).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μηδὲ μέλι, μηδὲ μελίσσας (English: Neither bees, nor honey... although I think I am the kind of person willing to take the bees, if I can have the honey!). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Asino et Lupis, the story of the wolves who pretended to be worried about the health of an ailing donkey.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE EQUO ET ASINO (the story of the boastful horse and the humble donkey). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments. Here is the illustration of the fable by Francis Barlow:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: May 21

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem duodecimum Kalendas Iunias, the day of the Agonalia in ancient Rome. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 87, which features this saying about nocturnal goings-on: Nox pudore vacat (The night is lacking in shame).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Aliena vitia in oculis habemus, a tergo nostra sunt (English: We keep other people's faults in view, but ours are at our back - a saying associated with the Aesop's fables of Jupiter and the two sacks).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nascimur uno modo, multis morimur (English: We are born one way, we die in many ways). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Certum pete (English: Strive for something you can count on).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Vigilia pretium libertatis (English: Vigilance is the price of liberty... although people do indeed disagree on just what that vigilance entails!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Quis miserebitur incantatori a serpente percusso? (Sirach 12:13). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Suum custodit quasi thesaurum draco (English: He guards his treasure trove like a dragon... and dragons, of course, were proverbial for their vigilance in guarding their treasures).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Amazonum cantilena (English: The Amazons' silly song - a saying that is most remarkable for Erasmus admitting that he really has no idea exactly what it means, a situation that is more common than you might suppose for ancient proverbs and sayings: to the ancients the meanings were so obvious that they did not need to explain, leaving us sometimes at a loss as to what they might mean).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Λέγειν μὴν τὰ ἄριστα, πράττειν δὲ τὰ κάλλιστα (English: Say the best things, and do the most beautiful things). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

AESOP'S FABLES BY CAMERARIUS. The Renaissance scholar Ioachim Camerarius wrote an appendix of original Aesop's fables, 60 in number, about half of which involve animal characters or animal motifs - you can find them transcribed here: Camerarius. My absolutely favorite is the one about the young lion who wanted to fight a man, much to the lion's later regret.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE LEONE AMATORIO (the marvelous story of the lion in love). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Vulpe et Gallina, a fine little fable of the fox wanting to play doctor to the hen. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) - from a Chinese fable on a very similar theme.

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: May 20

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium decimum Kalendas Iunias. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 86, which features this Latin equivalent of necessity being the mother of invention: Necessitas dat ingenium (Necessity bestows ingenuity).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a recent one about the joys of the simple life... and the perils of McMansions: Parva domus, parva cura (English: Small house, small trouble).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Suus est mos cuique genti (English: There is for each nation its own custom). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Litteras disce (English: Learn your letters - another one of the pieces of advice attributed to Cato).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Omnia vincit amor (English: Love conquers all things - a saying put to good use by Chaucer!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Ubi plurimae segetes, ibi manifesta fortitudo bovis (Proverbs 14:4). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Vulpecula denuo non capitur laqueo (English: The fox is not caught again in the snare... in other words, you might catch her once by her own error - but not twice!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Agamemnonii putei (English: the wells of Agamemnon - this was a proverbial saying in the ancient world for some new and remarkable initiative, as Agamemnon supposedly dug wells at Aulis and other sites in Greece).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἤως ὁρῶσα τὰ νυκτὸς ἔργα γελᾷ (English: Dawn laughs when she sees the deeds of the night... a great saying for students who pull an all-nighter to write their term paper!). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE VULPECULA ET CICONIA (the wonderful story of how the stork managed to outfox the fox, paying the trickster back in kind). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Lupo et Sucula, the story of the wolf who pretended to want to help the sow - luckily, the sow knew better! Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a 1479 edition of Aesop:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: May 19

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum decimum Kalendas Iunias. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 85, which features this saying for those of you not yet on summer vacation... Revocat aurora laborem. (The dawn revives the workday).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a recent one about the joys of the simple life: Humilis nec alte cadere nec graviter potest (English: A humble person falls not far, nor with a big crash).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Abyssus abyssum invocat (English: Deep calls to deep - a saying ultimately derived from the Bible, but which has come to take on quite new meanings out of that context). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Priscis credendum (English: The old ones are to be trusted - this could mean the people of ancient times, or the things of ancient times; the Latin adjective embraces both meanings, which is harder for us to manage in English).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Dis aliter visum (English: It seemed otherwise to the gods... the idea being that we might be surprised by what happens in the world - not having the gods' understanding of it all).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Habitabit lupus cum agno (Isaiah 11:6). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Parva volucris non ova magna parit (English: A small bird does not lay big eggs - so, keep your expectations reasonable!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Thessala mulier (English: a woman of Thessaly... which is to say, a woman you better watch out for: the Thessalian women were proverbial witches in the ancient world; take Lucan's Erichtho, for example).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὀυ δύνασαι Θέτιδος καὶ Γαλατείας ἐρᾷν (English: You cannot be in love with both Thetis and Galatea - a proverb that is also a subject for emblem-makers). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

AESOP OF SYNTIPAS - IN LATIN. One of my very favorite collections of fables in Greek is the one attributed to Syntipas - and thanks to GoogleBooks, I have found a lovely Latin version of that collection. You can find all 60 fables here now, transcribed, with links to both the Greek texts and also to English translations: Latin-Syntipas. Enjoy!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE ACCIPITRE COLUMBAM INSEQUENTE (the story of the hawk who chased a dove, and was himself caught). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Aquila et Cornicula, the story of the crow who tricked the eagle out of a meal. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a 1521 edition of Aesop:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: May 18

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum decimum Kalendas Iunias. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 84, which features this saying about not going to extremes: In medio stat veritas (The trust is somewhere in the middle).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a juridical proverb from today: Falsi testes peiores sunt latronibus (English: False witnesses are worse than thieves).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Eloquentia sagitta (English: Eloquence is an arrow). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Ubi sunt? (English: Where are they? i.e., where are they now... since all people and things of this world are transitory - here today, gone tomorrow).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Litteris absentes videmus (English: By means of writing, we see those who are absent - a saying that applies not just to traditional letters, but to email also!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Ego dico vobis: non resistere malo (Matt. 5:39). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Nobilis equus umbra quoque virgae regitur (English: If a horse is well-bred, even the shadow of the stick guides him).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Haudquaquam difficile Atheniensem Athenis laudare (English: It is not at all difficult when you are in Athens to praise an Athenian - a saying attributed to Socrates, which Aristotle cites as a reminder to always know your audience!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μὴ πῦρ ἐπὶ πῦρ (English: Don't add fire to fire). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE AGRICOLA ET CICONIA (the story of a stork accidentally caught with some geese and cranes). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Hericio et Vipera, the wonderful story of the viper who suffered the painful consequences of having a hedgehog as her houseguest.

CLARKE'S AESOP. Some of you may be familiar with the wonderful Latin textbook of Aesop's fables - Fabulae Aesopi selectae or, Select fables of Aesop: with an English translation, more literal than any yet extant, designed for the readier instruction of beginners in the Latin tongue - published in 1787 in Boston. It's great fun to see just what schoolboys in America were using to learn their Latin in the year 1787! I've taken the page scans from the Internet Archive edition and transcribed the Latin, segmenting it to indicate the natural pauses. For each of the 202 fables, I have provided a link to the page image so that you can see the literal English translation published with the fable - in delightful 18th-century English. Here is where I have put the materials online: Clarke's Aesop. Enjoy!

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.